Thursday, July 8, 2010

Ralph W. Tyler's Curriculum Design

Ralph W. Tyler began his career as a science teacher but quickly parlayed his interest in education to a research focus of teaching and testing. He worked with the Progressive Education Association (PEA) on an experimental project termed the Eight-Year Study (1930-1942). Investigation into the disparity between high school graduates and college entrants prompted an exhaustive voluntary study of thirty public high schools. Then, in 1949, what began as a course syllabus for Professor Tyler at the University of Chicago became a groundbreaking book on curriculum titled Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction. Tyler’s book is textbook material for curriculum developers. The book is segmented into four parts, each tackling an essential question—what educational purposes should the school seek to attain, how can learning experiences be selected which are likely to be useful in attaining these objectives, how can learning experiences be organized for effective instruction, and how can the effectiveness of learning experiences be evaluated. As an educator in 2010, I felt transported. Tyler’s hypotheses, insights, and recommendations are still practiced today. In fact, within the pages of such a small volume were the inceptions of present-day reality—standardized testing, curriculum articulation, school accountability, to name a few. In summary, Tyler advocates the development of clear educational objectives followed by student opportunities to learn. Then, the third step in the curriculum development process is organization through continuity, sequence, and integration and objective, reliable, and valid evaluation of the educational objectives as seen in student learning.

Essential Question ExplanationWhat educational purposes should the school seek to attain? “…the criteria by which materials are selected, content is outlined, instructional procedures are developed and tests and examinations are prepared” (3) Studies of the learners themselves and contemporary life outside the school needs and interests of the students practical application beyond schoolClear and serve the lifelong learning of each StudentIdentifies gap between where the student is and where the student should beParticularly delineate the task and the behaviorHow can learning experiences be selected which are likely to be useful in attaining these objectives? “The term ‘learning experience’ refers to the interaction between the learner and the external conditions in the environment to which he can react. Learning takes place through the active behavior of the student; it is what he does that he learns, not what the teacher does” (63) Building upon what the educator knows of the student, he/she can provide an environment to stimulate the desired type of reaction.Understand that not all students come to the classroom with the same shared knowledge and/or experience.Address through various efforts and styles a differentiated instruction to meet the student where he/she is.Stimulate inductive, deductive, and/or logic thinking and create the situations where the student can explore his/her reaction to the problem.Rather than provide a litany of facts for memorization help the student to use resources to obtain information.How can learning experiences be organized for effective instruction? “Important changes in human behavior are not produced overnight…In some respects educational experiences produce their effects in the way water dripping upon a stone wears it away…In order for educational experiences to produce a cumulative effect, they must be so organized as to reinforce each other” (83) Build continuity (vertically), sequence (scaffold), and integration (horizontally).Weave the threads (objectives) in an organized plan to achieve the expected learning outcome, using one of three methods—the lesson (single day discrete unit), the topic (several days or weeks), or the unit (several weeks organized around problems or major student purposes).How can the effectiveness of learning experiences be evaluated? “…checked against various criteria derived from educational psychology and from practical experience” (104) Evaluation is the process for determining the degree to which changes in student behavior are actually taking place.Align assessment directly to educational objectives and learning experience.Evaluation is a process; trials of different assessments bring to light the best and most effective method to evaluate a change in the student’s learning outcome (ie. portfolio, interview, survey).